I'm linking up with Darcy for Project 52!
Click her Project 52 button above to see what it's all about!
This week's challenge: Self portrait
My photo:
My thoughts:
I checked out this week's theme; ironically, my photo from last week's P-52 Challenge was also a self-portrait. :)
I had wanted to take a walk in these woods near my home since last Friday when it started snowing. How cool to get some pics of these snow-covered trees; I had gotten some nice pics in this same location this past autumn. I brought my 17-85mm lens and my 100mm macro lens along, because you never know what you're going to find. For my macro photography, I love a very low ISO and sometimes a smaller aperture--depth of field can be tricky with a macro--so I brought my tripod along because I wasn't sure what the light would be like and shutter speed might be low.
Toward the end of my walk--and nearing sundown--I thought to myself, "Self portrait!" (I even said it aloud--nothing like talking to yourself when you're all alone in the middle of the woods!)
The setup:
I bumped up the ISO for my self portrait so that I could get a decent shutter speed. I set up my camera and tripod, and found a small tree I could stand next to for focus. I set my aperture to f6.3 to make sure my face would be in focus in case I was not quite even with the tree. I set the timer for a 10-second delay and ran back and forth a few times to test out my settings. I ended up zooming in for more focus on my face. I felt a little goofy smiling at the camera, all alone in the woods!
Camera Settings:
- Canon 40D
- ISO 500
- Manual mode
- 17-85mm lens at 68mm
- f6.3
- 1/80 sec. shutter speed
Here is the series of photos I ended up keeping:
Nice composition, but the focus is a little off; maybe a closer shot...
Blah composition, plus where am I looking and what am I smiling at??
Nice, but my head is tilted the same way as the tree; could I be falling?
The shot I chose.
I'm feeling really goofy doing this in the middle of the woods!!
Treasuring life's moments,
Christine
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Nice shots and I really love the narrative...because I could totally relate to feeling very self-conscious smiling at the camera all by myself!!!
ReplyDeleteYou got some great shots... I always feel goofy doing SP too...
ReplyDeleteGood idea focusing on the tree. Also, I wouldn't have thought about your head/tree leaning the same way. But in comparison to the shot you picked, it really does make a big difference. Thanks for pointing that out!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had fun with this. If you talk to yourself in the forest, can anyone hear it? This prompt made me talk to myself, too. The pictures are great.
ReplyDeleteFantastic pictures!
ReplyDeleteReally great shots - the one you chose is my favorite as well! I felt very goofy doing mine too, and mine were in my house. I kept wondering if my neighbors could see in my windows as I was taking the shots! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat photos!
ReplyDeleteLove all the shots, and it looks like you had a great time. I really need to do something like this myself, but truthfully, bundling up and trekking outside in the cold is not something I'm overly fond of. I guess I need to work on that. :)
ReplyDeleteI love these shots! thanks for posting your settings too! Really helpful for a newbie like me!
ReplyDeleteLove the shots, and thank you so much for explaining how you got them! That's really helpful for me to read to get some ideas for what I could have done to get better results.
ReplyDelete